


In The Name of Love

by Shianhygge



Series: Project Wrench Your Heart [8]
Category: Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (Video Game), Watch Dogs (Video Games)
Genre: Abandonment, Ambush, Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Crossover, Dismemberment, Distrust, F/M, In the Name of Love, Original Kindred Characters, Sacrifice, Stubborn Wrench, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-01-19 09:26:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12407652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shianhygge/pseuds/Shianhygge
Summary: Continuation of Project Wrench Your Heart.Beloved Reader, and all their broken heart, has returned from New York City, but has discovered something very wrong within DedSec.The problem: Lydia Zadel... Wrench's new girlfriend.You are determined to right the wrongs, but Wrench seems hellbent on getting in your way. But you'll do whatever it takes to protect the ones you love. Even if everyone you love will hate you for it.Completed: 28 August 2018





	1. Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**_“If I told you this was only gonna hurt_ **

**_If I warned you that the fire’s gonna burn”_ **

**~**

It had only been a week since you left San Francisco, playing your part in the entirety of DedSec like a dream; doing surveillance so that Josh could focus on hacking and data mining, and improving the weapons and technology for Soma. It had been a welcome distraction from your situation with Wrench, but you weren’t satisfied with the conclusion of your relationship. For you, it still hurt, and there was something about the situation that stunk from an instinctual point of view, in particular, Wrench’s new girlfriend. But you were the type to never bring up your suspicions without proof. And Gandalf forbid you sounded like a jealous ex.

As the days passed, you grew closer to finishing your work and going back home. But then, two days before you were meant to fly back to California, you received word from Josh that Horatio was found dead by the hands of the Tezcas. Your response had been one of constructive fury, shutting the comms down in order to work on some more weaponry, silently going over Horatio’s death in your head, questions being shot around, the video of his interrogation replaying in your head. Then, it clicked, “How the hell did they find out who we were?”

The first person you contacted was Lenni, because goddamn, she was as likely a suspect as anyone, what with her contempt for DedSec.

**_“I’m telling you that I had nothing to do with your friend getting a knife through him, Y/N.”_**  Lenni laughed,  _ **“Hahahaha! You poor bitch, you have no idea what the fuck is happening around you! Go investigate yourself, cunt!”**_

That had been Lenni’s response when you had contacted her [the fat pig] about Horatio’s death. And through her words, it was obvious that this was a problem within DedSec itself. Sure, there was the involvement of Tezca, but you guess that they were the weapon in a game of manipulation. And since Sitara, Josh, Wrench, and Marcus weren’t investigating beyond the Tezcas, you guess that they didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary, and were content with simply getting revenge on the gang.

It was only you and whoever had leaked Horatio’s involvement with DedSec. And you were determined to win.

When you weren’t working on machinery and weaponry, you hacked and data mined, looking through everything you could get your hands on that was related to the Tezcas and DedSec’s other enemies. And for two days, you slaved, looking for the root cause, looking for justice for your comrade, but it seemed hopeless. Horatio had not been hacked by a rival gang, and the Tezcas worked with people off the books.

Then, right before you were supposed to board your flight back, you found a possible link. Buried deep within their records, and related to one of the most obscure of the Tezca members.  _A member of Blume had contacted the Tezcas._

Fired up, you dug further, looking into the member of Blume. And what you found alarmed you… no… that was an understatement. There were no words, because you ran through the airport with you bags, throwing money around in order to get through security faster, and boarding an earlier flight. Because it was urgent that you got back as soon as humanly possible.

Because the Blume employee that contacted the Tezcas was Lydia Zadel.

Wrench’s new girlfriend.

But how were you going to break it to Wrench? You had told him that he should be happy, even if it wasn’t with you. But when his girlfriend was trying to kill everyone in DedSec? As you sat in your seat in business class, your laptop pulled up, screensaver of a picture you and Wrench took a month back, you let out a long suffering sigh. He’ll get angry. Most likely at you. And this fragile peace between you two would shatter. And honestly, if Lydia had befriended everyone else in DedSec enough to know their identities, this was going to hurt you a lot more than it would hurt Wrench or the others.

 

But you were willing to hurt. Willing to be alone. Because you made that promise to hold him together and keep him safe.

_**~** _

_**“Would you walk in?** _

_**Would you let me do it first?** _

_**Do it all in the name of love.”** _


	2. Love Me... Hate Me...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrench flips his shit... In the end, reader was right.

**_Would you let me lead you even when you’re blind?_ **

**_In the darkness, in the middle of the night_ **

~~~~~

After your plane landed, you hurried through the airport once again, dragging your carry-on behind, face stern and urgent, and nobody dared stop you. You heart was beating fast, and you had every different type of plan for several different scenarios in your head. You were going to tell everyone in DedSec about Lydia. And there could only be a few outcomes:

Wrench would get angry at you as well as the others.

Wrench would get angry at you but not the others.

Nobody would get angry at you.

The first scenario had the highest percentage of occurring. You had to face it, the odds were stacked against you, especially if Lydia’s been flashing her body at people in the Hackerspace and being friendly. Your face darkened as you picked up your Tesla from the parking lot and drove it out towards the highway.

You suppose that Lydia was playing the long game. Luring a target, or in this case, a group of targets, into a false sense of security, and then striking to eliminate as many individuals at once as possible. There was no doubt in your mind that you were on her list of targets, and what with your ex-boyfriend’s big mouth sometimes, you guessed that Lydia probably already knew who you were. And if you suddenly arrived at the Hackerspace spouting out your suspicions, you’d make yourself the priority target. And when that happens…

Eyes still on the road, you took out your phone and dialed an untraceable number. When the person on the other line picked up, you only needed to say one thing, “So, I’m calling in that favor, Jordi.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You pulled up into the driveway behind the Hackerspace with bated breath. You had around ten plans in place just in case any of the predicted outcomes should happen. They were all insurance plans of sort, each with varying degrees of loss to you personally. But all their end goals were to prevent the deaths of the other DedSec members and to prosecute Lydia of her crimes.

Taking a deep breath, you got out of your car and punched in the code to the garage. But once you walked into the workshop, you heard a deep moan, and promptly turned to the left, a look of disgust on your face at what you saw.

You’d long since gotten used to the sight of Wrench’s bare ass. You’d long since memorized the very sight of him naked before you. The sight of him above, sweaty, and hilt deep within you, breathing heavy with each thrust into your aching core. The sight of him below you, hypnotized, enraptured, scared to let out those beautiful sounds as his blue green eyes watched as you rode him to completion.

But never in your life did you think that you would have to ever witness him with another. It was a hot brand on your mind, tainting, and spurring intense emotion within. They were on your cuddle spot. The spot, the structure, where you often spent your time cuddling Wrench when you were together. A structure which you had built out of love for the man. But now it supported the passions of a man who you still loved, and the woman who plotted to kill you all.

And as they continued to pant, somehow out of rhythm in their gyrating, you could only scowl and slam your hand onto the giant red button that closed the garage doors and plod towards the doors located on the opposite of the room. Kicking the doors open, you could vaguely hear that woman ask Wrench, “Who the hell was that?”

I will not shoot her. I will not shoot her. I will NOT SHOOT THAT FUCKING CUNT. You thought, storms reflected in your eyes. Storms that Marcus saw and backed away from. Storms that drew Ray towards your side. Storms that Sitara and Josh didn’t know how to define. The first statement out of your mouth after your long absence was, “We need to talk.”

“Uhh… I don’t know if you realized, but not everyone is here, Y/N.” Sitara pointed towards the garage doors.

In hindsight, it was rather short tempered of you, but there was an all consuming rage within you. Resentment for the position you were placed in and betrayal. Betrayal of the heart and betrayal of a friend. “I KNOW THAT EVERYONE ISN’T HERE, SITARA.” You’d never yelled at anyone in DedSec before, and your outburst left everyone in the room wide-eyed. A loud moan resounded from the other room, and you could feel your expression more than the others could see it. The angry flare of your nostrils, the deep intake of breath, the rising hairs on the back of your neck, the shudder through your body as your grab the hidden knife in your workdesk and throw it with extreme precision and strength at the garage door, the blade being buried to the hilt. “I SAID, ‘WE NEED TO TALK.’ As in, EVERYONE!”

“Y-Y/N… relax.” Marcus attempted to soothe you, his hands raised, “What’s got you worked up?”

“My problem?” Your eyes squinted into small slits. “My problem, is that Horatio’s dead. And all of you guys are floundering around! And WHEN THE FUCK was it our policy to let anyone that wasn’t one of us into this place!?” It came out as a snarl once the two horndogs in the other room finally joined you guys. “Ooh Welcome to the party lovebirds! Did ya have fun shagging the daylights out of each other? Oh! Of course you did. ‘Could fucking hear from in here.” You gestured for them to stay away from you, “Please stand a respectable distance away from me. Don’t want any of your bodily fluids near me.”

“What the FUCK is your PROBLEM, Y/N?” Wrench yelled, pulling Lydia to stand behind him. Oh. Now you’ve gone and pissed the poor boy off.

“My problem?” You wondered softly, then started to pace the room aggressively, “My problem is that Horatio’s dead and none of you bothered to find out why he was killed!”

Wrench folded his arms, mask displaying an angry face. “The Tezcas did it. And we took care of them.”

You continued your pacing, “That’s a how, not a why.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” You heard Sitara scream, halting your pace to a sudden stop.

“Oh… there’s nothing wrong with me.” You mumbled, head tilted up and biting down on your thumb in thought. And then you pointed at Lydia, not bothering to face in the woman’s direction. “But there’s something wrong with her.”

You could heard the gasps of outrage, “What? Me? Wrench, baby, are you going to let them talk to me like that?”

“What the fuck, Y/N! I thought we were cool with this!”

You didn’t acknowledge Lydia. There wasn’t any point. The little cunt was trying to make Wrench do all the work. So by jov, you would make Wrench do all the work. Your head turned to stare at his mask directly, “Oh. I was cool with it. Was cool when you started losing interest in me. Was cool when you started cheating on me. Was even cool when I broke up with you to let you date her. The minute I wasn’t cool with this.” You motioned ‘this’ with a circular movement of your hands, “Was when she plot Horatio’s murder.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? How dare you accuse me, you bitch!” Lydia insulted with a shrill crack of the voice, looking very convincing in her outrage. And in your quick glance towards her, you noticed that her top was extremely low cut, furthering your distaste.

“What? Are you kidding me, Y/N!” Sitara was the first to speak up, standing up for Lydia like the big sister figure that she always was. “There’s nothing on her! She’s an innocent! She doesn’t know anyone from Tezca!”

“Yeah! She’s got no connection with Blume, either!” Marcus jumped in, defending his best friend’s girlfriend. “You can’t just throw accusations around!”

“She’s working for Blume even now! I did the hacking!” You insisted, outraged that everyone was taking the deceiver’s side.

“Actually, she’s an ex-Blume employee.” you heard Josh pipe up, and you had hope. “But she was a low ranked employee. She couldn’t have any power.” And your hopes were shattered.

“You, too, Josh?” You demanded weakly before turning towards Ray, “Ray?” Nothing left your friend’s mouth. “I’m not wrong!” You insisted, turning in place to look at everyone. “She’s plotting against us!”

“You know what, Y/N?” Wrench stalked over towards you, standing in your face as he yelled, “I’m sick and tired of you trying to take away my happiness! Why can’t you stop being a jealous bitch about everything? Huh? Now you’ve resorted to making up lies about Lydia? MY GIRLFRIEND? And making up shit about Horatio’s death? HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!” He shoved you into your workdesk. “I FUCKING KNEW THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING OFF ABOUT YOU! AND NOW WE ALL KNOW! YOU’RE SCUM!”

Angry and betrayed, you shoved Wrench back with everything you had, “DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” Your former friend fell to the floor and you sprinted out of the Hackerspace, through the garage and towards your car. A shot rang out and suddenly there was a dent in your car. Getting in, you quickly drove away from your former friends and towards your apartment.

Once there, you backed up all your files into a portable drive and shoved it into a dufflebag along with some extra clothes and some guns before deleting everything in your computer and hiding all your handwritten schematics in between the sheets of your mattress. Your meeting with the team had gone as well as you had predicted, but it had gone as planned. You’d successfully painted a target on your back.

So, after shoving the dufflebag under your bed, you waited.

And like you’d predicted, at around 2am, the doors to your apartment smashed open and two people ran in. You stood, gun drawn and started firing at the larger of the two individuals, hitting the person legs twice to make them bow, and another two shots were fired into the man’s lower torso. But you didn’t have time to do much else, when the smaller of your attackers came at you with a large machete knife, and you were forced to duck, attempting to maneuver your way around the room to avoid the slashes.

It was a dance in a way, you trying to get away from the knife while reloading the gun. But like most untrained dancers, you tripped and fell. You had been too busy looking out for the blade, that you’d forgotten about the larger man with the gun. It started off with a loud bang, and then the pain as you fell backwards in the bedroom. Then, your bladed assaulter was on top of you, and the blade went down, and you screamed, looking at the stump that was once your left arm.

And then the one on top of you giggled, pulling her mask off to reveal the person you’d suspected all along. “Ohh. Don’t want to move around too much, Y/N. It might just be,” the machete descended again, stabbing into your stomach, and you screamed, “agony.” You started to flail, not caring about the blade sticking out of you. “Now, now, calm down. We want this to be quick and painless, right?”

Your eyes narrowed as you continued to flail, determined to make this bitch pay. But then your foot came into contact with bedside table, where you had placed a lit candle. When you kicked it, the candle had fallen onto your bed. And soon, the room was engulfed into fire.

Lydia sneered above you and twisted the machete, drawing out more screams from your body. “Now look what you’ve done. Fine. Die slowly.” Your attackers withdrew, but before leaving, Lydia directed a wicked grin at you, “I’ll take very good care of Wrench.” she blew you a kiss, “Don’t worry. You’ll be seeing him again soon. I promise.”

Your vision started to swim from the smoke, but you had enough sight to pull out the machete with a scream, throwing the blade to the side, and making a beeline towards the burning bed, pulling out the dufflebag from under it and limping towards the window with the fire escape. From there, you waited, struggled for breath until you blacked out with one name on your mind.

_Wrench_

_~~~~~_

_**In the silence, when there’s no one by your side** _

_**Would you call in the name of love?** _


	3. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, surprise, you didn't die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long period without an update. I decided to take on 20 credits this semester, and it's killing my ass, right now.

You woke up to the sounds of a high pitched beeping, steadily sounding off every second or so, and laid on a comfortable bed, various tubes protruding from your body. There was a haze over your thoughts, a grogginess that only drugs and pain could induce, and you grunted your distaste of not having the full use of your thoughts. You didn’t remember how you passed out, whether it had been from blood loss or smoke inhalation, you didn’t know. But everything hurt like a bitch. Oh… but then again, it was a bitch who did this to you.

 

A flash of images, from the sneer of the triumphant whore standing over your body, the burn of heat on your skin, the sting in your eyes, and finally… the pain that shot up your left arm. You knew that there wasn’t anything there, but your eyes wandered down to look at the phantom pain regardless. What was once part of you was now a stump of flesh covered in bandages. You dared not move, no matter how much you wanted to. The damage that Lydia did on your abdominal area was severe, and you briefly wondered how long you were out with the injuries inflicted upon your body.

 

“You’re lucky we got to you in time, Y/N.” a mellifluous voice chirped from the left of your hospital bed, causing you to turn with some difficulty to stare at the petite woman sitting on the lap of a handsome blonde man. The woman’s face, normally lit up with a grin, had long since dissolved into a serious frown, green eyes sharp.

 

“Isa, Chikage, thanks for the help.” You thanked earnestly, knowing that Jordi had kept to his word in recruiting the assistance of two of the most dangerous people in San Francisco to help you. “I’m sorry you guys had to pull me out of the fire. Did Jordi inform you guys what the plan was?”

 

“Your thanks is unneeded. Our only requirement is that you fix whatever little dispute your group seems to be having, and that you provide evidence to destroy Blume’s influence. They’re becoming quite a nuisance for my dear fiance.” the blonde haired man, who’d been sitting with his back straight and eyes closed, opened his red eyes to glare at you, deep voice laced with an annoyed edge. In his arms, Isa tilted her head back and teased Chikage by pressing a kiss to his jugular, probably whispering something intimate by the light blush on her fiance’s cheeks. Seeing that you were staring at them, Chikage cleared his throat, and continued to speak, trying to keep up his usual stoney mask, “As for pulling you out of the fire, we had a few of our own agents do that instead. As the representatives for our group of people, it was absolutely necessary to stay within the public eye. If you wish to pass thanks, then Isa can pass it on your behalf. Our agents don’t wish to make themselves known due to the  _ sensitivity  _ of their occupation. Jordi has explained the entirety of your plan to our organization, and it was in effect immediately after your attack.”

 

By Chikage’s expression, you could guess that something happened not long after you were attacked. You furrowed your brows, trying to gather your wits as the facts slowly spun together to form a picture. “How long has it been?”

 

“Since you were attacked?” Isa turned to throw her legs to the floor, taking a stand and pacing the room, her finger tapping at her chin, “Hmmm… a few weeks?” Her pacing stopped abruptly when Isa glanced at you over her shoulder. The shorter woman’s normally smiling face pulled into a sneer, “That…  _ bitch _ … Zadel… she’s been causing too much trouble with her attacks. She likes attacking during the night, which benefits my associates when rescuing your friends… We’re happy to assist you in bringing Blume down, but… our actions have bordered on the edge of violating one of the rules of our...  _ organization. _ ” Isa turned fully to set down several photos on your lap. Each photo contained an individual you recognized, injured, but very much alive. “Proof of your friends’ survival. Marcus Holloway, Raymond Kennedy, Sitara Dhawan, and Josh Sauchak. Alive, slightly injured, but very much alive. They’ve been evacuated to one of our many safehouses.”

 

Tears gathered at the corners of your vision as you let a sigh of relief, gingerly touching each photo with care. You swallowed hard, blinking away the tears as you urged yourself to ask, “And Wrench?”

 

Chikage chuckled almost mockingly, “Ah yes, your beloved. The man who betrayed you, and whom you don’t know the real name of. Our intelligence team found that Zadel plots to kill him in a few days time.” Red eyes narrowed in disgust, “Even now, the fool continues to follow Zadel like a sorry little puppet. She’s convinced him into hiding in a Blume owned safehouse, not that he knows where he is. I’d imagine that she wishes to kill him slowly.”

 

You sat up with a grunt of pain, an unconscious reaction, an innate desire to protect. “We need to save him.”

 

Chikage scoffed, standing with a single fluid motion. “Your hero complex is absurd. How in the world will you be able to save him when you’re in such a sorry state yourself?”

 

The corner of your mouth twitched in irritation, beyond annoyed that Chikage was doubting your determination. “I’ll find a way. Shoot my way through if I have to.”

 

“And would you like to use your severed arm as the weapon?” Isa chimed in from her position across the room. “Listen to yourself, Y/N. You’re crippled and still healing. If you shoot your way through, without any tact, you might cause Zadel to speed up her plans with Wrench. And then you’ll have no one but yourself to blame if he dies.”

 

You wanted to argue because you were sure that you would be able to blast your way through any and all enemies, but stopped your retort when you caught sight of the stump that is your arm. Even if the missing arm wasn’t your shooting arm, it required more than a measly sidearm to take down men with assault rifles. In the end, you would need two arms to stabilize the recoil from using a rifle yourself. Yet still, you couldn’t stand being so helpless. “Then what am I supposed to do, Isa?” your voice caught at the end, “I can’t just sit down and do nothing while Wrench gets tortured.”

 

Chikage sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose at the pure exasperation flowing through him in waves. “And that is why Isa’s friends will go in at night to handle the guards silently.” Sharp red eyes met yours challenging you to disagree. “Once the guards have been dealt with, you will be able to go in and deal with Zadel. We only ask that you finish your avenging before the sun rises. Otherwise, none of us can help you. Do we have an agreement?”

 

At your nod, Isa brightened up from her somber expression, “Great! Now, then! To boost your strength!”

 

Chikage grunted in disgruntlement, “You’re going to do  _ that _ , aren’t you?”

 

“Yup!” Isa chirped, grinning almost ferally, as she approached you, her eyes glowing an unnatural red now. “ _ Y/N, my dear. I’m going to need you to forget the events of the next hour. _ ”

 

You blinked for what you thought to be a moment, only to realize that Isa and Chikage were no longer in the room, that the sun was beginning to rise outside, and that your body didn’t ache. There was still a phantom pain where your arm used to be, but other than that slight discomfort, you felt quite normal, stronger even. Standing from the bed, you dared to test the strength in your body, performing squats, kicks, punches, and rolls without much of a problem. It was only after an hour of this that you phone beeped from the bedside table.

 

It was a message from Isa.

 

_ We attack tonight, as soon as the sun sets. Facility address will be sent to you soon. Arm yourself and rest. We shall see to the rest. _

 

You sighed to yourself, wanting to text Isa a ton of questions back, but settled upon, 

 

_ You’re a couple of magicians, aren’t ya? _

 

A small moment passed before Isa responded.

 

_Rofl_ _you have no idea._

 

Tonight.

 

Tonight you would finally settle everything.


	4. At The End of My Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all comes to a close. But new beginnings are born.
> 
> Series: In the Name of Love  
> Part 4/4  
> Chapter Title: At The End Of My Love  
> Words: 4,462 words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’m back from the dead. Since I haven’t written, nor posted anything in a while, I’m going to slowly start writing and posting again. The first order of business, was to finish “In the Name of Love” because it’s been two years(I think?) since I started “Project Wrench Your Heart,” and it’s among the easiest to write out of all my series. This ending, might have you all... really livid, but I’m rather pleased with it.
> 
> edit 28/8/18 15:04: edited for POV discrepancy.

I want to tell you a story, my dear audience. It’s a story that anyone might be able to relate to - one about heartache. Specifically, this story is one about a young woman who fell in love with a man whose smile halted her breath, and whose tenacity would inspire her to walk with him to the ends of the Earth. It’s a story of how her love would quickly become her greatest weakness - a slow poison to eat at her mind, body, and soul.

I want to tell you that his love for her was pure, and that the two lived a life full of happiness. But that is never the case with most relationships. Despite all that she would say and do, his love for her faltered and wavered, doubts, fears, and lust consuming him while she desperately sought to save him. It wasn’t enough for him, so the young woman let him go.

Yet still, it hurt.

She loved him with all of her being. If he was in danger, she ran to his aid. Even when her life would tear at the seams, she ran to him. Even if he would hate her, she would run to him.

 

_You would run to him._

_You would help him._

_You would save him._

_And you would take his hate._

_Because in the end, it was all for him._

 

**“At the beginning of my love, there was only blind devotion, innocent and uncorrupted. I could only see the best in you despite your actions. I would make whatever excuse I could to keep myself blind.”**

 

 

You knew that this story could only end in two ways. In one outcome, you and Wrench would both perish, losing your lives to the woman who had created such a large divide in your relationship. In another, you would rise victorious, having saved Wrench from Lydia and her deceit. The ramifications of both outcomes were dire enough that you stood, frozen, at your position in the darkening alleyway.

You had sacrificed so much for Wrench - losing your arm, your heart - and while you still held onto it yet, you were sure that you might even lose your humanity if everything went south.

Still, you waited patiently and silently as the sun set, casting the streets of east San Francisco into the dark. This was your job. Only you and Isa’s cohorts would be able to get this done.

Given that you only had one arm left to use, you’d armed yourself with a silenced pistol, extra ammo, a few grenades (of the explosive, smoke, and flash variety, and a hunting knife. In all honesty, you felt out of your comfort zone without your rifle, but having only one limb severely limited your lethality with a two handed weapon.

And then, just as the sun disappeared from the horizon completely, the screams started.

Despite knowing what would go down tonight, you flinched just the slightest. Those weren’t screams of rage, after all. They were screams of pure unadulterated terror.

You gave a count of ten before you sprinted out from the cover of the pitch black alleyway. In front of the safe house gates were three armed guards, each wore kevlar vests and held a Blume modified military grade rifle - their attention seemed to have been redirected when the screaming started, and had their backs facing you. All three seemed to have been frozen in place, no doubt horrified that someone had gotten past them. But none of them moved from their places, likely in terror.

And with your position, crouched not even ten feet away from them, it wasn’t difficult to hear why. Gunshots were heard followed by horrified screams, but unlike before, when it had only been screams, you heard begging and the sick sound of screams dying in throats. The squelches of something.

One of the guards shoved at another’s arm, “Hey, man. You go check that out.”

“W-what? Are you fucking insane? There’s a slaughter going on in there, and you want me to waltz in there and do what?” The shoved guard’s voice rose pitch after pitch in fright.

“Yeah, Wellington, if you’re in any condition to be telling Thomas what to do, maybe you should go in.” The last guard seemed about as willing to go in as the others.

“Oh fuck off, McCullum! I’ve got kids and a wife waiting for me.” Wellington snarled with a shack of his head.

“Hey! I’ve got a baby girl on the way! No way am I leaving my wife and child!” Thomas protested, before turning to look at McCullum, “And what about you?”

“…Boyfriend.” McCullum grunted quietly, crossing his arms and turning away. “…He proposed last week, but given how dangerous my job is, I didn’t answer him yet.”

“Oh yeah… that handsome doc working at the Children’s Hospital, right?” There was a sudden realization in Thomas’s tone, and by the protective glare on McCullum’s face, the guard held his hands up in surrender. “Hey! I’m not judging! You love him, and who am I to judge.”

“So we all got people waiting for us back home.” Wellington muttered, staring down at his gun and indecisively shifting back and forth on his feet. “But we also have a job. If we don’t go in, we might be out of a job. But if we go in, we might die.”

From you crouched position, you grit your teeth and clenched your hands. You wanted revenge. DedSec wanted revenge. Blume wanted revenge. But how many people, innocent people, were going to get stuck in the crossfire. The three men standing guard? They didn’t ask to be employed by such a corrupt system, but it was their living. Isa, Chikage, and their men? All they wanted was peace. You, DedSec, and Blume were the ones that dragged the others in.

You were already going to take the life of one or two individuals tonight. Did you really want to take three more?

Heaving a sigh at your sudden development of a moral conscious, you stood and holstered your gun, putting your hand up and walking around the car slowly. “Hey.”

All three men whipped around with their rifles trained on you, laser sights marking three points on your body, head, heart, and lungs, but none of them fired. Ignoring your instincts to duck for cover, you kept your hand in the air, “Beautiful night, isn’t it?”

“What the hell do you want?” It was McCullum that interrogated you with a snarl, flicking the safety off the rifle.

You made a small motion with your head towards the safe house gates. “I need to get into that place.”

Wellington gave a mocking laugh, “Are you kidding me? We’re not going to let you in, kid.”

“Well someone has to go in.” You were playing this a little too close to the chest for you liking.

“Trust me, kid, you don’t want to go in there.” Thomas warned, and as if on cue, another terrified scream rang from behind the gates.

“Hmmm.” You mused in thought, “It sounds like your coworkers are dying, sir.”

“And you’re not moving from this spot.” McCullum warned when you took a step forward.

You were getting impatient now, so you dropped the whole act. “Listen, boys, I need to get into that place one way or another, and you’re kind of in my way. It’s obvious that all of you are unwilling to go in there and help, so why don’t I make you guys an offer?”

“And why would we listen to anything you had to say?” Wellington snarled, and from the glint of a street light, you could make out his trigger finger flexing just the slightest.

“I mean… you don’t have to. Just thought I’d throw it out into the open.” When no answer came, you took it as a sign to continue. “You see those cameras up there?” you pointed with your remaining limb at the two discrete lenses poking from atop the gate and covered by some foliage. “When everything is said and done, and all your coworkers are dead, your employers are going to investigate whatever happened tonight. All they’re going to find are dead bodies in the building, and you three, standing out here, not doing anything to help. Now tell me, without a potential culprit for these murders, who do you think is going to become the figurative scape goat?” Understanding seemed to cross their expressions, and you grinned, “They’re going to blame you three. And suddenly, your names will be blacklisted and wanted everywhere. Everything you hold dead will be forfeit. And everyone. But if you let me into that safe house, I’ll give you my name, and I’ll erase all trace of your involvement with Blume, whether it be your employment with them, or your presence here today. And then I’ll get you all jobs of your choice. I’m a woman of my word.”

There was silence before Thomas spoke up, “Your name first.”

A sly smirk appeared on your lips, “Are you all in agreement? Because I’m not just going to give my name if all of you aren’t going to go along with it.”

Reluctantly, McCullum lowered his gun, and after a while, Wellington did as well. “Fine. But you better keep your word.”

“Hmm. Y/N L/N.” You mumbled, walking past them and through the gates. “And I’ll contact you all once it’s done. You should probably go home now. The authorities might arrive soon, so you’ll want to be far away.”

Without a goodbye, you strolled through the rest of the way and disappeared in the darkness.

 

**“In the name of love, I would kill, I would steal, I would cheat, and I would lie. All for you. All for something I thought would bind us. But slowly, our love became corrupted. Was it because of me? Was I too obsessed with you? Was it because of you? Was it because you took advantage of my love and obsession? What happened to make you abandon me so? And yet still, I crave to be by your side?”**

 

It didn’t take much to block out all the bodies littering the halls. It didn’t take much thought to block out the sounds coming from the shadows. The squelching and crazed giggles. Because deep in this mass grave, was your target. Your end goal.

**_“The Prince bids you good hunting.”_ **

_“Follow. Follow. Your damsel awaits.”_

_“Hehehe guarded by an ugly troll.”_

**“And a small snarling bitch.”**

_“Oh…”_

_“Troll’s dead, Troll’s dead!”_

**“Disgusting red. Don’t touch.”**

**_“Don’t touch.”_ **

_“Don’t touch.”_

**“Don’t touch the bitch.”**

_“Don’t touch the damsel.”_

_“They belong to the hunter now.”_

**_“The arrows will guide you.”_ **

Those were among the voices that you could understand. Some were snarling, and some sounded borderline crazed. But you followed the giant red arrows leading you through the safe house anyways. You didn’t trust these goons, but you trust Isa and Chikage to keep their subordinates in line.

When you arrived at the heavy set of double doors, it’s steel complexion marred with a giant red X, you heard the giggling, louder than ever. To the side of the doors, propped up on the wall, was the corpse of a giant man with a shredded throat and multiple puncture wounds along his body. He was the man who held you down just as Lydia hacked your arm off. And you felt no remorse at his death, simply took in his face stuck in terror and turned away.

_“X marks the spot.”_

**_“The hunter found the treasure.”_ **

**“Time to kill the yipping bitch.”**

_“And take back the damsel.”_

You took a deep breath in and waited ten seconds before exhaling, and shoving open a door, your pistol drawn to take aim.

The interior of the room was unfurnished save for a few left over tables and chairs, the paint along the walls cracked, and the ceiling missing panels. The room was dimly lit, casting shadows all over the room. And at the center of the space, stood Lydia, dressed in the same dark outfit that she’d assaulted you in.

“So, you really did survive.” An arrogant smirk was on her lips as she crossed her arms and straightened her posture to maintain a superior stance. “Too bad you were too late to save the others.”

“Where’s Wrench?” You demanded, grip firm on the pistol as you kept the firearm pointed and aimed at her.

“Wrench, Wrench, Wrench. That’s all you seem to talk about, you know? So fucking boring and predictable.” A mocking sneer twisted what would have been a pretty face before she stepped aside, allowing you to see that Wrench had been strapped to a chair and gagged. “He’s a bit roughed up, I’ll admit. And I might have broken him a little.”

A bit roughed up, yes. You could see the bright bruises on his unmasked face from where you stood. And the normally bright blue eyes of his were dull and lifeless. His clothes were disheveled and ripped, as if he’d been thrown around. But he was alive.

“Give up, Lydia. You’ve lost.” You gave it your best shot, but you were in no way as intimidating as Batman, what with only one arm, and dressed in streetwear.

“Hmmm… how about no?” Lydia drew her own gun - a hand cannon - and pointed it at Wrench’s head, turning the safety off. “You have nothing to threaten me with, Y/N. But I have lover boy. Oh… but he’s not your lover boy, is he? He’s still mine.” At your hesitance, Lydia continued to speak. “Oh you should have seen his face during this entire fiasco. He was so fucking happy that I gave him the time of day, and was all too happy to leave you. It was pathetic really. Wasn’t it Wrench?” a muffled whine of humiliation was her answer. “He wasn’t even a good fuck. Couldn’t get me off for the life of him.” Lydia released a long suffering sigh, “Not like Dusan. Now there’s a guy who was hot, wealthy, smart, and oh boy could he make me cum. But no matter. Don’t have to pretend anymore. I have what I want now. Dusan is still mine, after he left his girlfriend. And I single-handedly brought down DedSec. Now all I have to do is… tie up all the loose ends. Starting with lover boy here.”

“Oh? Are you scared of me, Lydia?” You had to get her attention away from Wrench. “C’mon, you’re scared of a one armed cripple? That’s just pathetic. Face me. One on one, just knives.” You holstered your gun and drew your hunting blade. “I know you like to use your machete, Lydia. And besides, what do you have to lose? I’m a cripple. And if you manage to kill me, you’ll only have made Wrench suffer more before you kill him.”

Lydia smirked, and brought out the machete strapped to her back, putting the hand cannon away as she waved the blade around. “Oh… I know you’re baiting me, Y/N. But you’re right. You’re an easy kill, and guns just aren’t personal enough. Fine. You have yourself a duel.”

It didn’t take a moment before Lydia was charging at you, swinging her machete with calculated aim. She wanted this duel to last - wanted to hit you in non lethal areas. It would hurt, and you would slowly bleed out, but you would last longer. Your eyes sharpened in concentration as you dodged the downward slice by dodging to the side, careful to stay on your feet because Lydia had the advantage in maneuverability.

Yes, you were baiting her, you were glad, in a sense that she caught onto your game so easily. It would make her too confident, too arrogant. It would be easy to get Lydia to slip up. So you bid your time, dodging the oddly angled attacks, getting a feel for the room and throwing some cheat shots at her.

Dodge her swing, get in close, quick slice to the abdomen, and dance back away.

Rinse and repeat.

Thanks to what Isa did, you felt like you could keep it up all night, but Lydia didn’t have that advantage, and you quickly began to notice that her motions were getting a bit lazy, there was less energy in her swings.

And then _there_.

Lydia faltered in her swing due to a misstep, whether it be from carelessness or fatigue, you took advantage of it. You went in and swing your hunting blade down, severing the tendon in her dominant hand, forcing her to drop the machete. She let out a harsh choked scream as she leaned forward to grab at any part of your body. Dancing to the side, you watched as Lydia overstepped, and with a well aimed kick to the back of her supporting leg, she went crashing down to the floor.

Quickly, you got to your knees, straddling the struggling woman, and taking out her hand cannon from her hip holster. With a look of distaste, you threw the hand cannon across the room before arming yourself, once more, with your hunting knife.

“GET OFF OF ME!” Lydia screamed, writhing on the floor and trying to hit you. Her attempts were weak and ineffective given that she was laying on her front instead of her back. The cut on her wrist was still bleeding severely, so she must have been feeling the effects of blood loss by now.

You didn’t lighten up on the pressure against her back, sitting firmly as you played around with the hunting knife in you hands. “An eye for an eye.” You muttered thoughtfully, before plunging the knife through her lower back, in the same place that you had been stabbed by her.

“W-what? Are you going to torture me now?” Lydia hissed in pain, “Well! D-do your w-worst! Dusan will avenge me!”

“You know,” you drawled in low bored tones, “I highly doubt he’ll care about you being gone.”

“No! He’ll get you! He’ll send people after-ARGH”

You interrupted her protests by twisting the knife just a little and pulling out. “You see… Dusan’s got bigger worries than getting vengeance for the death of his latest squeeze. He’s got to worry about DedSec.” You let Lydia go and went to stand, casually putting the hunting knife away in favor of your silenced pistol.

There was a slight shiver of satisfaction from the look of horror on Lydia’s face when she fully registered what you had said. “…no. NO! I killed them. I KILLED THEM ALL!”

Shaking your head, you took out your new cellphone and dialed a familiar number, setting it to speakerphone. The line rung once, twice, before the other person picked up, “Y/N! How is everything on your side?”

“Things are going great, Marcus!” You answered, savoring the look of horror on Lydia’s face. “How is everyone?”

“Well, they’re great! Thanks for having our backs, Y/N.” Marcus thanked, his voice sounding a bit remorseful. “Even though we don’t deserve it… Just… thanks. How’s Wrench?”

“I’m about to get him now. I’ll see you at the gates.”

“Sure thing. Be safe now.”

“Of course.” With a click the phone went dead, and you were left with the despairing wails leaving Lydia’s mouth. Flicking the safety off the pistol, you took aim at Lydia, “You know… I really wanted to make this last. Make you feel everything that the members of DedSec felt. But I realized that I would have done everything that you did to us. And I guess it’s a bit late to take the moral high ground, but for what it’s worth…” You gave a tiny smile at the woman. “At least I’ll never become like you.”

Lydia made to lunge at you just as you pulled the trigger.

She made no sound as she died. Just fell to the floor with a single bullet through her head.

A sigh left your mouth and your shoulders slumped in exhaustion. It was done. Now, all you had to do was get Wrench to safety.

Turning on your heels, you found Wrench, his shoulders shaking and tears falling from the eyes that stared at Lydia’s lifeless body. He didn’t speak as you untied him, as you ungagged him, or even as you supported him on the way out of the safe house. There was only silence and your thoughts.

Thinking back to the way that Wrench had stared at Lydia’s body, with tears streaming down his cheeks; with tears still streaming down his cheeks, you lamented that maybe he’d really loved Lydia after all. That he’d been in a one-sided love as you had. And almost bitterly, you wanted to take satisfaction that he’d experienced what he’d put you through. But it was so vindictive, that you couldn’t.

At the safe house gates, you saw that the three guards had taken your advice and left. In their place were the remaining members of DedSec, ready to receive Wrench, just like you planned.

“Wrench!” Sitara called out in worry, she and Marcus sprinting over. “Y/N… I’ve got him.” The woman assured you, pulling Wrench away from your side so that you could balance your entire body again. “Thank you. We can never repay you.”

As Sitara led Wrench towards Josh and Ray, who stood by as guards, you couldn’t help but see Wrench look back at you. Solemnly, you waved your arm in farewell, “Get better soon.”

“You’re not coming back with us?” Marcus questioned, peering at you through his lensless purple glasses. “Wrench might need you.”

Your face set in a heavy frown as you shook your head. “I’m not coming back to DedSec. And I’m not going back to Wrench.”

“But… he needs you, Y/N.”

“No…” you protested, crossing your arms to create a makeshift shield. “Wrench needs his friends. He needs you, Sitara, Josh, Ray, and even Wrench Jr. But he doesn’t need me.” Seeing the argument that Marcus was going to start, you firmly stood your ground and said what you needed to. “I love Wrench. From the bottom of my heart, I do. But the relationship that we had, that we have… it’s poison. For both of us. And in order for either of us to be able to function, I have to leave. So long as I’m around him, I’ll continue to tempt myself, and to make him feel bad.”

“So you’re just going to leave?” Marcus snarled, “Without saying goodbye to him?”

“I think he and everyone else heard me, Marcus.” You huffed, eyeing the group in the truck, who stared looking extra guilty. “But you know that I’m right. And you know that I’m right. So unless fate makes it so, this is the last that you’ll see of me, Marcus.” With one last nod towards the members of DedSec, you bid them farewell, walking down the street and out of sight. “I wish you all the best.”

 

**One week later…**

 

_ZzzzzZttt_

“So you _are_ a woman of your word.”

You took a long swig of your drink and gazed, unimpressed at the man before you. “Yes, Mr. McCullum, that’s what I said last week.” You gestured towards the open seat at the cafe table. “Sit.”

_ZzzzzZttt_

It was the first time you saw McCullum since your first meeting, and in the day, dressed casually, you could finally make out what he looked like. Tall, probably in his mid-thirties, short beard and styled short black hair. He was a handsome fellow, that’s for sure, though his ice blue eyes were intimidating.

“I heard from Wellington and Thomas.” McCullum informed you, analyzing you critically. “They said you wiped their employment with Blume and got them jobs at Cybertech and Abstergo. You’re a difficult person to track down, Y/N.”

_ZzzzzZttt_

Another long sip of your drink as you watched the people go by from behind your sunglasses. “I did contact you, McCullum. You just overreacted.”

_ZzzzzZttt_

“Of course I overreacted!” McCullum snarled defensively, “You contacted my fiancé!”

_ZzzzzZttt_

“Ah. I should also congratulate you on the engagement!” you sent the taller man a bright and beaming grin, genuinely happy that someone you knew had a happy romance going on.

“Ah.. Yes…” McCullum coughed, a blush making its appearance on his cheeks, “Thank you, by the way, for the engagement gift.”

Your smile widened, “I’m glad you two liked it!”

“But… ah… isn’t an entire apartment a bit too much?”

_ZzzzzZttt_

“Nonsense!” You protested with a kind smile, “The two of you were living in the slums, and that just wouldn’t do. Though I suppose, you’re here to ask me about that job, now, right?”

“I… Yes…. I wanted-”

_ZzzzzZttt_

_…_ The table fell silent as you glared at the cell phone in your bag.

“You know that I don’t mind if you get that, right, Y/N?” McCullum cleared his throat, staring as you took the offending object out. “It must be important.”

With a grimace, you unlocked your phone to find several unread messages:

 

**Wrench 2:30pm**

**Y/N. I know that you’ve been reading these. Answer me.**

 

**Wrench 2:32pm**

**Please? Answer something?**

 

**Wrench 2:35pm**

**I’m sorry, alright? I never should have doubted you. I shouldn’t have betrayed you.**

 

**Wrench 2:37pm**

**It’s not the same at DedSec without you.**

 

**Wrench 2:38pm**

**And you just disappeared from our radar like that.**

 

**Wrench 2:40pm**

**I never got to say goodbye to you.**

 

**Wrench 2:42pm**

**I wish we could try again.**

 

Typing a quick reply and sending it, you quickly placed the phone down and went back to addressing McCullum. “Sorry for that. Anyways, while I did get rid of all the evidence concerning your involvement with Blume, you gave a bit of a shock when you requested your ideal job.”

McCullum leaned forward in his seat, his ice blue eyes holding all the seriousness that his being could muster. “I was serious, Y/N. I want to work for you.”

A grin crossed your face, and you nodded, clearly elated at the prospect of employing McCullum. “Tell me, McCullum. What do you know about CyberMasque?”

 

**“At the end of my love, I finally see what I must do. I tried so desperately for you to see me as I saw you. I didn’t want to give up on you. But your words, your actions… that in the end, when all was said and done, nothing had changed in your stubborn heart. I know what I must do now.”**

**Y/N L/N (Me) 2:44pm**

**Let me go, Wrench. Forget about me. Move on.**

 

**Wrench 2:45pm**

**I don’t think I’ll ever.**


End file.
